If you were watching closely, then it was hard not to get excited about the premiere of the latest incarnation to the Trek franchise, namely Star Trek: Voyager. After all, Voyager took Gene Roddenberry's creation, and threw it all the way to the far side of the galaxy where that pesky Starfleet organization everybody's always going on about wouldn't and couldn't be sticking its nose into everybody's business. Sure, the Prime Directive was still relevant, but what was more powerful was this tale of the li'l ship that could, her bold (and female!) captain, and the people who came along for the ride. "Caretaker" premiered on this day in 1995. It was a bold promise -- one that deserved to be embraced by fans old and new -- and finally the next incarnation of Star Trek appeared as if we were going where no one had gone before ...Then, sadly, the cast and crew all-too-quickly settled into the same-old 'what's-it'-of-the-week format, and much of the praise, hope, and originality was lost in favor of cookie-cutter plots being enacted by yet the latest long-distance 'franchise' of Starfleet.Still, Voyager helped launch a network -- UPN -- that went on to ... to ... well, it failed, so now you know the rest of the story.

In the role of Perry White, the venerable John Hamilton made things tough on Superman's Earthly alter-ego, Clark Kent, aboard the classic Adventures of Superman TV show. Hamilton also made a visit to the world of outer space as Professor Gordon aboard Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe (1940). Though he's no longer with us, Hamilton was born on this day in 1887.

In Star Trek's first season episode "Errand of Mercy," Peter Brocco had the chance to take a stand for peace between the Federation and the Klingons. Though he's no longer with us, Brocco was born on this day in 1903.

The late Michael Pataki was a brilliant character actor seen across a whole spectrum of film and television projects. Usually playing a person of authority or maybe even considerable menace, he's perhaps best remembered as the Russian boxing promoter for Dolph Lundgren in Rock IV. Still, he gave genre entertainment some work worth recalling, including stints aboard The Twilight Zone, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Star Trek ("The Trouble With Tribbles"), The Invisible Man, The Amazing Spider-Man (TV), Automan, and Star Trek: The Next Generation ("Too Short A Season"), along with a whole host of voice-over work. Though he's no longer with us, Pataki was born on this day in 1938.

The venerable Richard Bohringer found SciFi fame with his work aboard Kamikaze (1986), a SciFi/Thriller from France. Bohringer was born on this day in 1942. [Source: IMDB.com]

Glen Morgan was one of the producers who helped usher Fox TV's The X-Files to the height of its popularity. Likewise, he created the epic Space: Above and Beyond for its single season of existence. Morgan was born on this day in 1947.

Director John Carpenter has a respectable history with science fiction. He first tinkered with it in 1974 with his curious Dark Star. In 1981, he wrote and directed Escape from New York. In 1988, he played with our concept of reality with his cult hit They Live! He continues to tinker in the movie industry, and, so long as he does, he'll always have fans interested. Mr. Carpenter was born on this day back in 1948.

Oh, you young kids with your George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and James Cameron ... you have no appreciation for the like of sci-fi we older kids grew up with! Who wouldn't want to go back to the days of matte paintings, fuzzy dialogue, and studded leather bikinis? Up there in the middle? That's Stellar Star -- better known as real-life actress Caroline Munro -- the hot'n'heavy star of Starcrash. It was one of those Star Wars knock-offs rushed into production once the adventures of Luke Skywalker showed movie companies how much money could be made. The lovely Ms. Munro never made a return trip to the black bikini, but, oh, which of us fanboys wouldn't have loved to see a sequel? Munro was born on this day in 1949.

Jennifer Dale is an accomplished actress who has turned in quality performances no matter the genre. So far as our beloved realm goes, she's been a part of The Twilight Zone (1988), The Ray Bradbury Theatre, Forever Knight, RoboCop (TV), TekWar, X-Men (animated), Silver Surfer (animated), Mutant X, Lost Girl, and a host of video game projects. Dale was born on this day in 1956.

Here's another case wherein you may know the work but not the face: actor Mark Steger has performed oft times under makeup and prosthetics in some of the bigger genre properties of the last few years. He's contributed work to Men In Black II (2002), I Am Legend (2007), and Netflix's Stranger Things. Steger was born on this day in 1962. [Source: IMDB.com]

Fresh-faced Kathy Evison brought her own inimitable charm to the role of Helmswoman Lonnie Henderson aboard NBC's SeaQuest 2032. Evison was born on this day in 1963.

As I'm always quick to remind readers, Science Fiction comes in all shapes, sizes, and influences ...so it is with that in mind that I mention that the lovely adult temptress Danni Ashe celebrates her birthday today. Danni's SciFi credentials include performances aboard the Superheroine Double Feature (1998) and Killer Sex Queens From Cyberspace (1998). Ashe was born on this day in 1968. [Source: IMDB.com]

In 2007, Annika Peterson starred in The Man from Earth, the story of a retiring college professor who very well might not be the man everyone thought he was. Peterson was born on this day in 1972.

Actor Richard T. Jones played Detective James Ellison as part of Fox TV's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. He has since moved on to some other great television work, though very little sci-fi. (Shame on you, Richard!) Jones was born on this day in 1972.​

The stunning Eriko Tamura (above left) put a little love in Hiro's life during her stint aboard NBC's popular Heroes. Tamura was born on this day in 1973. [Source: IMDB.com]

The lovely Tsianina Joelson dipped herself into SciFi/Fantasy's rich waters with a guest spot aboard the short-lived Special Unit 2 for the SciFi Channel (back when SciFi was its name) as well as the syndicated Fantasy-juggernaut, Xena: Warrior Princess. Joelson was born on this day in 1975. [Source: IMDB.com]

The delicious Eva Habermann heated up the small screen in the role of Zev Bellringer for TV's SciFi/Cult series, Lexx. Habermann was born on this day in 1976.

Voice actress Carrie Keranen maintains an incredible resume rich in genre properties. She's contributed tracks to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Pokemon, Fate/Zero, and Star Wars: Battlefront (2015) to name but a few. Keranen was born on this day in 1976. [Source: IMDB.com]

Shaun Benson's star has circled the realm of genre projects for some time. Fans recognize him from work aboard Haven, Darknet, Defiance: The Lost Ones, Inhuman Condition, ARQ, and Channel Zero. Benson was born on this day in 1976.

The beautiful Shanae Tomasevich impresses whenever she's given the chance, which often seems to be in smaller, supporting roles. Genre fans might recognize her from work in Intruders, iZombie, and Zoo. Tomasevich was born on this day in 1979. [Source: IMDB.com]

Alright, who wants a Danish? Hailing from Denmark, the lovely ​Birgitte Hjort Sørensen joined Antonio Banderas in the sleeper SciFi drama, Automata, in 2014. Sørensen was born on this day in 1982.​

Early in his career, Mason Gamble had a small but critically important role in Gattaca, playing the younger version of Ethan Hawke's character. Gamble was born on this day in 1986.​

If you're needing some young starlet with acting chops as well as the talent of being extraordinarily easy-on-the-eyes, then look no further than Yvonne Zima. So far as our beloved genre goes, she's filled out small roles in TV's Seven Days and on the big screen in Iron Man 3. Zima was born on this day in 1989.

On this day in 1996, the high-kicking Virtual Combat premiered for interested audiences. This SciFi/Action film starred Don Wilson and Dawn Ann Billings, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:

"Scientist brings virtual reality characters to life. Two are women from the cybersex game site. The third is a warrior who wants to unleash the rest of the bad guys from the virtual reality underworld. A border cop must defeat the virtual reality warrior while learning to relate to one of the cybersex babes."

Released on this day in 1998, Star Kid was a piece of Science Fiction definitely geared more toward the family-friendly crowd. It starred Joseph Mazzello and Richard Gilliland and was written and directed by Star Trek: Enterprise's Manny Coto, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:

"Shy seventh-grader Spencer Griffith's life changes when a meteor falls into a local junkyard and he finds a Cybersuit - an exoskeleton with AI from another galaxy. Spencer puts on the Cybersuit and becomes a different kind of person."

On this day in 2015, the SciFi thriller Vice found its way into the realm of moviegoers looking for something a bit different. The film starred Thomas Jane, Bruce Willis, and Ambyr Childers, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:

"​Julian Michaels (Bruce Willis) has designed the ultimate resort: VICE, where anything goes and the customers can play out their wildest fantasies with artificial inhabitants who look, think and feel like humans. When an artificial (Ambyr Childers) becomes self-aware and escapes, she finds herself caught in the crossfire between Julian's mercenaries and a cop (Thomas Jane) who is hell-bent on shutting down Vice, and stopping the violence once and for all."

​If you'd like to know a bit more, then check out SciFiHistory.Net's review of the DVD release right here.

On this day in 1953, Adventures Of Superman aired "Drums of Death." This served as the eighteenth episode of the program's first season, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:

On this day in 1954, Tom Corbett, Space Cadet aired "Cargo Of Death." According to our friends at the reliable IMDB.com, here's that adventure's plot summary:

"The captain of a tramp space freighter kidnaps Roger when his failure to maintain his vessel kills many of his crew. Tom and Astro infiltrate the ship to rescue Roger before the ship explodes due to its commander's negligence."

On this day in 1965, Doctor Who aired "The Slave Traders." This served as the twelfth episode of the program's second season, and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:

"The travelers decide to take a holiday near ancient Rome, but after a month the Doctor gets restless. He and Vicki determine to visit Rome, and while they are gone Ian and Barbara are abducted by slave traders. All roads lead to Rome, however, and the travelers find themselves at the mercy of the country's petulant emperor, Nero..."

On this day in 1971, Doctor Who aired "Terror of the Autons: Part 3." This served as the third episode of the program's eighth season, and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:

"The Doctor and the Brigadier head to Farrel's factory but the Master and the Autons have already left and are distributing plastic daffodils around the country."

On this day in 1978, Logan's Run continued to "run out" the last few episodes of its only television season. The episode titled "Carousel" saw our hero affected by a serum that erased his memory, leaving Jessica and Rem the task of not only rescuing him but helping restore his own history.

On this day in 1984, the United Kingdom was treated to the second episode of the first season of Chocky. Here's the plot summary as detailed by our friends at TV.com:

"The next morning, Matthew's temperature has lowered and he returns to school. His mum is still concerned about him. At school, Matthew has a biology lesson and he asks his teacher, Miss Blayde, about reproduction in a single sex species. Later, his dad gets a new Citroen car. Everyone is excited, but Matthew stands next to the car in a terrible, distressed state. Chocky finds the car stupid and old-fashioned and hates it. At the next Maths lesson, Matthew starts using the binary code to count as that is what Chocky uses. He uses Y and N, for Yes and No, instead of 0 and 1. Matthew plays an electronic game with his friend Colin. When it is Matthew's go, Chocky is curious and she makes the screen explode."

On this day in 1987, Starman (the TV show) continued counting down the episodes of its first and only season. This week's adventure was titled "Appearances," and here's the episode summary from TV.com:"When a blind girl receives acid burns, Paul heals her. Unfortunately she wants her eyes healed as well."

On this day in 1988, Star Trek: The Next Generation aired its twelfth episode of its first season, and it was definitely one of the more memorable hours from those early adventures. The hour was titled "Datalore," and here's the episode summary, compliments of our friends at IMDB.com:"The Enterprise visits the planet where Data was created and discovers another android like him, but when he's assembled, he's not EXACTLY like him."

On this day in 1989, War of the Worlds aired "Choirs of Angels." This served as the twelfth episode of the program's first season, and here's the plot summary as provided by TV.com:"The aliens plant subliminal messages in a musician's recordings to brainwash a scientist into creating an antidote for them against the bacteria on Earth. But Harrison, too, becomes a pawn in this plan and fights his own team members against the "lies" they have created about the aliens."

On this day in 1994, SeaQuest DSV continued the journey through its first season. Here's the episode summary for "Greed For A Pirate's Dream," compliments of IMDB.com:"An experimental probe that was shot into a volcano and was recovered as it rode the lava spill out into the ocean, gives meteriological information about earthquakes and erruptions. Guest star, Roscoe Brown, plays Dr. Raleigh Young, its architect. He joins the Seaquest in the recovery and tests of impending eruptions."

On this day in 2002, Star Trek: Enterprise aired "Silent Enemy." This served as the twelfth episode of the program's first season, and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:

On this day in 2009, Star Wars: The Clone Wars aired the thirteenth episode of its first season. The adventure was titled "Jedi Crash," and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:"General Skywalker is injured while rescuing fellow Jedi General Aayla Secura from Super Battle Droids equipped with rocket packs. Ahsoka Tano crash-lands their shuttle on the neutral planet of Maridun, where the native Lurmen villagers refuse to takes sides in the war. They are however willing to send a healer to help Anakin."

On this day in 2009, Syfy aired the eleventh episode of Battlestar Galactica's fourth season. It was an hour titled "Sometimes A Great Notion," and here's the plot summary compliments of IMDB.com:"Scouting the planet reveals that there is no life except plants. The destruction occurred about 2,000 years earlier. Among the ruins, skeletons and wrecks of a different kind of Centurions are found. But closer examination of the skeletons reveals they are Cylon! Could the 13th Tribe really have been all Cylons? Chief Tyrol, Colonel Tigh, Sam Anders and Tory remember living on the planet and dying there. How did they get to the colonies? Starbuck finds a piece of her Viper, and despite Leoben's warnings, starts to look for the cockpit... Roslin loses her faith in the Scrolls of Pythia. Apollo and Dualla seem to get back together, but he needs to figure out what to tell to the people of the Fleet... A tragedy prompts Adama to confront Saul."

On this day in 2015, the future became history as Syfy premiered its televised serial adaptation of 12 Monkeys to interested audiences. Ratings were solid, and the storyline expanded quickly, showing promise of good things to come. Here's the pilot's episode summary, compliments of our friends at IMDB.com:

"27 years after a virus wipes out most of humanity, scientists send a man (James Cole) back to 2015 to stop the plague from ever happening. Cole's only lead is a virologist (Dr. Cassandra Railly), who knows the dangerous source of the outbreak."

Look! There on the page! In print! In color! (Or was it black and white?) It's a man! He can fly! It's ... it's ... SUPERMAN! On this day in 1939, the comic strip "Superman" appeared for readers. Let me be the first to say, "Woohoo!" Luv me some Big Blue!